U.S. Water and Wastewater Treatment Market Size, Share & COVID-19 Impact Analysis, By Segment (Chemicals {pH Conditioners, Coagulants & Flocculants, Disinfectants & Biocidal Products, Scale & Corrosion Inhibitors, Antifoam Chemicals, Other Chemicals}, Equipment {Biological, Filtration, Sludge Treatment, Disinfection, Demineralization, Other Equipment}, Services {Designing & Installation, Operations, Maintenance, Others}), By Application (Industrial and Municipal), And Regional Forecast, 2023-2030

The U.S. water and wastewater treatment market size was valued at USD 106.18 billion in 2022 and is projected to grow from USD 113.08 billion in 2023 to USD 179.22 billion by 2030, exhibiting a CAGR of 6.8% during the forecast period.

Water and wastewater treatment is the process of purifying and cleaning water that is contaminated or considered unfit for consumption in different applications such as, industrial and municipal. This market includes both the purification of water before it is used for consumption and the treatment of wastewater to get rid of impurities before it is released back into the environment. Businesses in this sector offer disinfection, filtration, chemical treatment, membrane separation, and other services and technologies to remove contaminants from water and wastewater.

COVID-19 IMPACT

Disruptions in Supply Chain during the Pandemic Hampered the Market

The COVID-19 crisis arisen the need for an improvised supply chain and the adoption of flexible working ways. Traditional supply chains of water and wastewater treatment are heavily dependent on the human workforce. Thus, during the outbreak, the supply chains faced enormous challenges due to a shortage of manpower. Leading manufacturers reported supply chain disruptions, delaying orders, and impact on their businesses. As economies are reopening, the still active pandemic is challenging supply chains in terms of inventory buffers, diversity pressure, changing consumer behavior, price fluctuations, trade wars, freight imbalances, and manufacturing shifts. Supply chains are becoming costly and sometimes represent the company’s highest cost. Due to multi-country disruption, traditional supply chains lack resilience. Lack of flexibility in value chain operation is unable to meet stakeholder expectations and does not address consumer demand.

LATEST TRENDS

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Increasing Population and Rapid Urbanization to Boost Need for Water and Wastewater Treatment

The world population is projected to reach 8.5 billion people by 2030, 9.7 billion by 2050, and surpass 11 billion people by 2100, according to a forecast from the United Nations. Furthermore, the requirement for wastewater treatment in metropolitan areas would increase due to the rising urbanization of the world. The World Health Organization (WHO) predicts that between 2020 and 2025 and 2025 to 2030, the world's urban population would increase by more than 1.63% and 1.44% per year, respectively. Over 68% of the world's population is anticipated to reside in urban areas by 2050, according to the UN.

With the increasing population, the load on available water resources has increased. Water distributing organizations are pressured to ensure citizens a clean and safe water supply. However, population growth has also increased the stress on manufacturing industries, which may lead to severe water pollution. Growing urbanization and industrialization takes a heavy toll on available water sources due to the addition of toxic minerals and chemicals.

DRIVING FACTORS

Strict Effluent Treatment Regulations to Augment Market Growth

With production processes advancing technologically, the volume of waste water generated has increased significantly in recent years. Wastewater from companies that process rare metals, pesticides, and chemicals, among other toxic compounds harm the environment. It can have serious impact if not treated appropriately before being disposed of into freshwater sources. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other regulatory bodies have issued strict limits on the discharge of pollutants into clean water.

The U.S. EPA has also issued regulations for the Wastewater Directive for the industry as part of the Clean Water Act (CWA). The maximum level of contamination allowed at discharge depends on the type of industry, and certain values have been set according to the performance of the treatment systems. For example, the EPA published the Guidelines and Standards in 2016 for Oil and Gas Recovery, covering wastewater discharges from drilling, field exploration, well treatment, and production on land in coastal and offshore areas. The regulations provide penalties for offenders with prison sentences and heavy fines. The proliferation of such strict rules has led the industry to build and maintain wastewater treatment plants. Therefore, stringent regulations on this industry are expected to drive the U.S. water and wastewater treatment market growth in the coming years.

RESTRAINING FACTORS

Highly Flammable Nature of Water and Wastewater Treatment to Restrict Market Growth

Even though there are strict regulations for water and wastewater treatment, many industries are discouraged from using advanced treatment technologies on site due to high investments in constructing the wastewater treatment plants. However, with increased competition and reduced profit margins, companies are not seeking such significant investments, leading to a slowdown in market growth. As a rule, a country's capacity to treat contaminated water and wastewater depends on its income. The treatment capacity in high-income countries is over 70% of wastewater production, compared to 8% in low-income countries. Moreover, it is also difficult to collect and process liquid waste compared to solid waste.

Wastewater management is a time-consuming and complex process. Therefore, it requires large capital and incurs high costs for operating wastewater collection and processing equipment. Wastewater handling requires skilled workers to perform different duties. As they need to work in other locations, retaining highly professional staff to carry out smooth operations can sometimes be difficult.

In addition, liquid waste easily pollutes freshwater resources or the land. Therefore, it should be handled carefully. Furthermore, wastewater treatment plants become less efficient over time due to the constant build-up in piping systems. These factors can restrict the market progress.

SEGMENTATION

By Segment Analysis

Service Segment is Expected to Grow Owing to Larger Investment in Maintenance Water and Wastewater Treatment Facilities

Based on segment, the market is classified into chemicals, equipment, and services. The chemicals segment is further segmented into antifoam chemicals, coagulants & flocculants, pH conditioners, scale & corrosion inhibitors, disinfectants, and others. The coagulants & flocculants segment dominates the market due to its wide use in the treatment of sludge.

The equipment segment is broken down into demineralization, filtration, biological, disinfection, sludge treatment. The disinfection segment is projected to grow at a faster rate due to increasing investment by the government to cut down water-related diseases.

The services segment is divided into and designing & installation, operations, maintenance, and others. The services is expected to grow at the highest pace due to the companies focusing on constructing novel treatment plants and the maintenance of existing facilities. The segment's growth will be further complemented by the requirement to upgrade existing sewage treatment facilities in developed countries.

By Application Analysis

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Rising Wastewater Demand across Residential Sector to Aid Growth of the Municipal Segment

By application, the market is bifurcated into industrial and municipal. Higher production of wastewater through residential buildings, and usage of municipal water for adventure parks and swimming pools will boost the market demand.  

The industrial segment is expected to experience considerable growth in the forthcoming years due to tightening regulations across developing nations. Advancing technologies such as bioremediation and ozone treatment developed by Culligan Industrial Water and Suez Worldwide are key factors augmenting market expansion.

KEY INDUSTRY PLAYERS

Key Players are Adopting Expansion Strategies to Maintain Their Position in Market

The market is fragmented, with key players, such as ProMinent, DR. KÜKE GmbH, Ecolab, and Evoqua Water Technologies LLC holding a leading U.S. water and wastewater treatment market share. Manufacturers in this industry are expanding their business to gain competency in the market and alleviate the threat of new entrants. Market participants are competing against domestic and international companies with regulatory know-how, extensive distribution networks, and suppliers. In addition, these firms have signed contracts, inked acquisition deals, and developed strategic partnerships with other market leaders to expand their existing product range and market presence.

LIST OF KEY COMPANIES PROFILED:

• Veolia (France)


• Acciona S.A. (Spain)


• Hydro International (U.K.)


• Orenco Systems (U.S.)


• Aquatech International LLC (U.S.)


• BioMicrobics Inc. (U.S.)


• Calgon Carbon Corporation (U.S.)


• Kemira Oyj (Finland)


• Suez Worldwide (France)


• Xylem (U.S.)


• DuPont (U.S.)

KEY INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENTS:

• March 2023: Aquatech International partnered with Fluid Technology Solutions, Inc., a cutting-edge producer of sophisticated membranes and separation technologies, to deliver next generation of enhanced brine concentration, advanced separation, and water reuse solutions.


• January 2023: Xylem Inc. reached a definitive agreement to acquire Evoqua in an all-stock deal with an indicated enterprise value of roughly USD 7.5 billion. The merged business will be uniquely positioned to create and deliver a more comprehensive range of cutting-edge solutions by building on Xylem’s global leading position in water solutions and Evoqua’s specialty in advanced treatment systems and services.


• April 2022: To assist the creation of cutting-edge water and industrial innovations, Xylem announced investments in venture capital funds Burnt Island Ventures and The Wastly Group’s Funds. These investments were expected to strengthen Xylem Innovation Labs’ open innovation network and its dedication to quickly and widely commercialize the most significant advancements in water technology.


• October 2021: ACCIONA announced its decision to construct the new Ermidas do Sado (Portugal) water treatment plant. The facility was going to have a cutting-edge biological treatment line with a lamination and pretreatment tank that lessened the plant’s surface area and, as a result, its environmental impacts. The company was using this biological treatment for the first time in Portugal.


• November 2021: BHSL, a parent company of Hydro International, acquired Glan Agua, a leading wastewater and clean water solutions enterprise. The acquisition was made to double BHSL’s revenue and increase its market share in waste and water management services.